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Text Twilight Sparkle stood in the den of the small cottage, quietly fitting her satchel back on as Luna rested on the heavy cushion in front of the fireplace, gazing meditatively into it. The expression on Luna's face was moody and thoughtful, and the violet unicorn only wanted to help… but standing here, she didn't quite know what to say, and so she only lingered and gazed quietly down at the female who had become a dear, true friend to her. Finally, Luna glanced up, starry mane quietly swishing around her as she met Twilight's eyes, and she said softly: "I apologize for sending thee away so soon and sudden, Twilight Sparkle… but 'tis best thou does not dally here during daylight hours, 'lest thy presence go amiss in Ponyville. And furthermore, I must think upon events that have transpired… never did I expect to have a second student underneath my care." "Third, you mean." Twilight smiled a little, meeting her eyes with a bit of a laugh. "Scrivy's always been kind of a student of yours." "Nay, if ever, I have been a student of his." Luna paused for a moment, then she looked down and said softly: "Poor Scrivener Blooms. He has trouble seeing himself as mine equal… but pray do me a favor, Twilight Sparkle. Distract him by means fair or foul, I have a surprise for him that I wish to give unto him today, but 'tis difficult to find the time and means for us to part… I dislike being away from him, I dislike even more him being alone somewhere." "You're very protective, you know." Twilight said softly, gazing gently at the female, and Luna smiled a little up at her. "Aye, and possessive, especially of those I care for such as thyself." Luna paused, then stood up and approached Twilight, leaning forwards and kissing her for a soft moment… and Twilight blushed deeply, but returned the kiss quietly before Luna winked as she drew back. "Now get thee hence, Twilight, or I'll tie thee up and present thee as a gift to mine husband beloved, and teleport Trixie to some foul den of inequity to prevent her insurgence." Twilight grumbled a bit, but she nodded awkwardly, then turned and hurried to the door with a blush and a smile despite herself as she pushed back outside… then rolled her eyes at the sight of Trixie and Scrivener arguing with each other, the unicorn saying loudly as her flush faded: "Trixie, stop causing trouble." "'Tis his fault!" Trixie whined, and then she glared at him as her horn glowed slightly… only to squeak when she was knocked backwards by her own telekinetic attack, cursing under her breath before she looked up miserably and added: "Trixie needs her magic hat!" Twilight grumbled… but before she could say anything, the hat shot out of the open door, spinning through the air like a discus before it smacked into Trixie's face with enough force to sending her flopping backwards, and then Luna laughed loudly from inside the cottage before the door slammed shut. Twilight couldn't help but grin a little at this as the baby-blue unicorn picked herself slowly off the ground, looking embarrassed more than anything else as she carefully settled her hat and cloak around her before she said loudly: "Trixie shall use her magic to lead the way!" "No, I'll lead the way. Using the fact I've walked this route more than a hundred times now." Twilight replied flatly, brushing past the fellow unicorn as Scrivener fell in step beside her, and Trixie grumbled before hurrying to catch up as Twilight continued: "Magic isn't everything, Trixie, I think that's part of your problem. For magic to be at its most effective, you have to understand when to use it, and that sometimes the indirect method is a better choice than the direct… I thought that lesson would have been clear in the whole 'moving Scrivener' test." "But 'twas direct. Well, direct as possible, the Intelligent and Sly Trixie lifted him with the vines, not her magic or her telekinesis because he's been enchanted with a telekinetic reflection aura." Trixie replied quickly, and Twilight looked surprised, but the unicorn only grinned, tilting her head back as they crossed the bridge over the creek and began to make their way down the dirt path together. "Trixie knows her magic better than you realize. Furthermore, as I said… telekinesis has always been a talent of mine. Thus it made it very important to learn how to stop others from using telekinesis against me." Scrivener rolled his eyes, then he said dryly: "Did you ever consider just giving up this whole magic show nonsense, going back home, and finding yourself a comfy little position in life? You're a talented unicorn, Trixie. You're wasting those talents on the road." "But Trixie's not on the road now, she's learning from Luna beside Twilight Sparkle and… the earth pony." Trixie said cheerfully, leaping forwards to shove herself between them and grinning brightly back and forth, and Twilight grumbled before glaring at her, her horn glowing faintly before Trixie's hat was yanked down over her eyes, and she cursed and staggered to a halt, shaking her head wildly until she was able to shove the brim of her hat back up from her eyes and quickly following after the two. "Besides, Trixie has many talents, as you'll no doubt see! She is a detective, an adventurer, a master tracker, a-" "Speaking of which, you promised to tell me how you followed me from Ponyville if you got to be Luna's student, and now you are, so spill it." Twilight interrupted, and Trixie looked torn between sulky and gleeful as they made their way down the path. "Seriously, how did you do it? Because if you didn't notice those guards-" "That Trixie saved you all from with her incredible showponyship and acting talent!" Trixie said brightly, and when both Scrivy and Twilight glared at her, she grumbled about a tough audience before finally relenting and smiling at the fellow unicorn, saying easily: "But very well, this one time, and one time only, Trixie shall reveal the answer to one of her incredible skills." She paused for dramatic effect, halting in the path and closing her eyes as she almost posed for a moment, and the other two ponies sighed as they came to a halt… and then Trixie grinned slightly, opening one eye as her hat tilted back to reveal her horn. It thrummed quietly, a faint light building around it… and then Twilight blinked stupidly and looked up sharply as her own horn pulsed quietly in response, Trixie saying proudly: "Don't you know the old nursery rhyme, Twilight? 'A unicorn wanted to find her friend, so a special spell she penned. It let her horn vibrate clear and far, so one can find the other no matter where they are.' It's not hard at all for the Great and Powerful Trixie to lock onto another unicorn by sensing the distinct signals their horns give off when you know just the right frequency to check…" Trixie preened for a moment, looking proud of herself… and then Scrivener shook his head and smiled a little as Twilight only stared dumbly at the female, before Trixie said brightly: "So will you admit now that Trixie is the greatest and most powerful magician of all time?" "No." Twilight said disgustedly, and then she turned and grumbled under her breath, storming down the path as Scrivener laughed and followed and Trixie bounced behind the two… then glanced dumbly up, her eyes almost crossing as she looked at her horn as it gave a second reverberation. "It's a childish trick, Trixie, and while I'm impressed you seem to have extended the range enough to make it useful, I still don't think-" "The Great and Powerful Trixie has divined the fortune of the earth pony!" Trixie declared, and Twilight gritted her teeth as Scrivener Blooms rolled his eyes, the two mostly ignoring her as she bounced along behind them before she said slyly: "Except he is not an earth pony. He's a hornless unicorn." Scrivy ground to a halt, his features tensing up and glasses falling slightly askew before he glared over his shoulder as Twilight winced, but Trixie only smiled brightly… then faltered and suddenly glanced down as if abashed, adding quietly: "And I would not have referred to you as a slave-hoof if I had known that, Scrivener Blooms. I only meant it as a joke, seeing how Luna and Twilight spent their time bossing you around, but… I did not think you really were… well. You know." She shuffled a bit on the spot, and Scrivener sighed before relaxing, muttering after a moment: "It's fine, Trixie, just… let's keep moving." Twilight, however, tilted her head curiously even as Scrivener grumbled and walked forwards, but Trixie brightened as she ran along behind them, looking at the violet unicorn and explaining happily: "Oh, no, it's very simple… a unicorn that never grows a horn still has the same horn base in their skull as we other unicorns do… not enough to give them magic, enough to make a distinct resonation with my powers. Earth ponies don't give that vibration at all, but Scrivener Blooms did. So the Great and Powerful Trixie used her detective skills and deduced-" "We get it." Twilight said flatly, and Trixie grumbled under her breath as the three walked onwards through the Everfree Forest, falling into an awkward quiet as Trixie bounced along behind them, apparently eagerly waiting for a chance to talk more about her powers but neither sparing her so much as a glance. Finally, as they came out onto a broader dirt road that led out of the forest and towards Ponyville, Scrivener came to a halt and said quietly: "I'd love to walk all the way with you, but I'd better stop here. I can't let myself be seen in broad daylight, after all." But a moment later, Trixie's hat dropped firmly over Scrivener's face before her cloak floated over and quickly snapped itself onto him, the pony wheezing and then looking stupidly down at himself as Trixie clapped her front hooves together gleefully, saying cheerfully: "No, here! Now if anyone asks, you can simply say you're Trixie's assistant!" Scrivy blinked slowly beneath the brim of the floppy wizard's hat, the cloak fluttering a bit around him as Twilight cleared her throat and glanced away with a half-hidden grin before the baby-blue unicorn bounced forwards, calling easily: "Now come on, Trixie wishes to move quickly into her new best friend Twilight's home!" "Oh, Fluttershy isn't going to like this." Twilight muttered under her breath, and then she sighed, the two trudging slowly as Trixie cheerfully paced ahead, looking proud of herself and completely oblivious to the glares she received from several passing Pegasus Guards overhead, even as both Scrivener Blooms and Twilight instinctively kept their heads low. "Do I really have to do this?" "Well, no. You could leave her out in the cold, but you're a soft touch, Twilight. And furthermore, I think you're more worried about what the Pegasus troops will do to her than the cold." Scrivener said mildly… and then he glanced at her with surprise as she smiled a little and stepped closer to him, letting their sides firmly bump together. "What?" "I don't even know." Twilight admitted honestly, and Scrivy laughed a little before he glanced at her amusedly as she added dryly: "You know, though, sometimes I get the feeling that Luna wants me to move out there with you two. Form our own creepy little family together or something that she gets to control. Kind of like a cult." "Probably. Luna's possessive." Scrivener smiled all the same, however, adding mildly: "But who am I to complain, really? There's a lot of perks to being married to such a crazy pony, even if…" He halted for a moment, glancing down, and Twilight looked at him softly as he said quietly: "I dunno. I am just a slave-hoof, Twilight, and even with Luna's essence transferred to me, I'm little stronger than an earth pony, and I panic easily and can't do much in a fight, while Luna's a heroine and a savior. And she's so very attached to you and you're such a better fit for her. I think often that if things had been only a little different…" "Well, they're not. She cares about you, Scrivy, she really does." Twilight said softly, gazing at him kindly. "And I'm not just saying it, honestly, when I say that she loves you more than she ever could love me. I know it must be difficult sometimes, the way she… wants both of us in her life in this way, and I worry about you, because I do care about you too. But you shouldn't worry like this. You're the one she chose." "I just wish I could do more for her." Scrivener smiled up at Twilight, and Twilight gazed back with a quiet laugh as she nodded a little, understanding this sentiment all too well. "Still, I don't think I'd change things, given the chance. Luna says I just like to complain, and she's probably right." Twilight smiled, then she leaned over and kissed him quietly, and Scrivener stumbled a bit as his eyes fluttered before he kissed her firmly back… then tripped over his own hooves when the kiss broke, landing in a sprawl with a grunt as Twilight looked down at him amusedly. "From Luna to me and me to you, Scrivy. At least, that's my story." "Twilight, the Great and Powerful Trixie feels she must inform you that is not the proper way to get more magical power." called the blue unicorn cheerfully from where she was standing only a few feet away, and Twilight turned scarlet as she glared ahead, seeing the female grinning widely. "Furthermore, she must add that she will have just no choice at all in the matter of telling Luna what's transpired here if you continue to try and seduce poor, defenseless Scrivener Blooms." "Oh, yeah, you go ahead and watch what happens if you do that." Twilight said dryly, and then she rolled her eyes before glaring at Trixie when she began to open her mouth, and the unicorn squeaked as she was bowled backwards by a firm telekinetic shove as Twilight's horn fiercely glowed for a moment. "Also, bigmouth, we're almost at Ponyville, so shut up. If you have to talk about them, we call them Miss Poet and Mister Poet, okay?" "Trixie fails to be impressed by your attempts to be cunning, Twilight Sparkle." the female declared grumpily, climbing up to her hooves and shaking herself off as Scrivener found his own footing and continued forwards with Twilight, looking amusedly at her as the violet unicorn glowered moodily across at the overloud female. "I shall think up much better codenames, as my first gift to you all." Twilight only sighed now, lowering her head and muttering under her breath as the trio walked forwards, Trixie gazing cheerfully back and forth as she declared: "The Great and Powerful Trixie likes it here in Ponyville. It is much more peaceful than Hoofston… much nicer than many other places I have been through. Yes, and since many ponies have forgotten my almost-defeat, and I have now reclaimed my mighty throne from you, I shall once again be glad to put on magic shows and-" "No, Trixie. You won't." Twilight said irritably, and Trixie pouted over her shoulder at her as they passed through the outskirts, heading into Ponyville as Scrivener lowered his head a bit to shadow his face beneath the hat, glancing curiously back and forth. The village was bustling with ponies, but more than a few of them seemed nervous… and even Twilight was frowning a little at the sight of more than a few Pegasus Guards on slow patrol, their golden, sun-inscribed armor glinting in the light. "You're going to be learning magic from Miss Poet, and you're not going to cheapen it or screw things up by showing it off in the streets. If you really want to learn, you'll have to study and put effort into it, just like me." "Oh, come now, you can't say all of what the Great and Powerful Trixie did was bad." Trixie replied reasonably, and then she stopped and smiled at several fillies that gazed up at the stranger in their midst with wide eyes, before the female flicked a hoof out… and a moment later, a bouquet of flowers appeared with a poof of smoke, making the foals giggle before she tossed the bouquet to one of them and patted another on the head with a warm smile that made even Twilight lose some of her seriousness. "Trixie is very proud of herself and her talent and is determined to prove she is the greatest unicorn in all of Equestria, but she likes it when ponies smile at her, too." "You were a lot more arrogant when you first passed through here." Twilight said softly, and Trixie glanced up with surprise… then she smiled hesitantly and shrugged a little as they began to walk towards the library again, the unicorn blushing a little as she hung her head. "Well… Trixie's show-carriage was destroyed, her reputation ruined, and she had trouble scraping together the money and materials to fix herself a new wagon and new props." She stopped, looking down at the ground and smiling a little as she added in a murmur: "And little as Trixie wants to admit it… she was forced to realize she had to actually learn more about magic instead of just imitating others and blindly using telekinetic abilities to try and win the day." She quieted as they continued forwards, and then Trixie brightened as she pointed out a large, almost-spherical carriage on four enormous wooden wheels, with a hitch on the front and several stacked trunks chained awkwardly to the back. "There, Trixie's wagon!" Twilight blinked after a moment as Scrivener snorted in amusement, the two approaching: the oak carriage had been crudely painted blue and was covered in stars and astronomical symbols drawn on in gold, the large, single door in the side of the wagon almost hidden thanks to the thick layering of paint and the patterning of stars… and then Trixie spun around to a halt, standing in front of it and declaring proudly: "Yes, you may have caused my last wagon to have been destroyed, but-" "The Ursa Minor destroyed it." Twilight said slowly and firmly, and Trixie sulked as she dropped back down onto her hooves before the female grimaced a little as she glanced at the enormous tree behind the female: inside it was housed Ponyville's library, and Twilight's home, and the female mumbled to herself before she said finally: "Alright, Trixie. I guess… you can stay inside. But please, please, please behave yourself, don't mess with Spike, and god help you if you upset one of my friends if they visit." "We're friends now! Roommates even, my good friend Twilight!" Trixie said brightly, and Twilight gritted her teeth as Scrivy snorted in amusement before Trixie cheerfully spun around, twisting her head to the side to yank the carriage door open before items of all shape and size began to fly out of the carriage, drawn by the female's telekinetic grasp as Twilight winced and stared at the slowly-growing pile. "Oh I have so much to teach you, Twilight… the Great and Powerful Trixie won't lord her victory over you, but she knows so many ways you can improve and is so eager to help you better yourself…" Twilight only sighed at this, however, and then she glanced over at Scrivener, saying flatly: "Come on. I have a cloak you can wear on the way back to Luna's, and you can help me deal with getting Trixie settled in here." "I. Really don't want to." Scrivy said carefully, then he sighed when Twilight favored him with a sour glare. "Oh, fine, I'll help you figure out a way to deal with the Great and Powerful Trixie. But you owe me for this." Twilight, however, only grunted in response, looking moodily towards the baby blue unicorn as she only continued to cheerfully sort through her wagon, and she wondered how long it would be before she eventually threw Trixie off the second floor balcony just to try and get a little peace and quiet as the unicorn continued to ramble incessantly away. Top ↑ Category:Transcript Category:Story